Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Laser Ranging Can See 3D Objects Melting in Fires

Optical range measurements, already used in manufacturing and other fields, may help overcome practical challenges posed by structural fires, which are too hot to measure with conventional...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Chip Measures Quantities with Quantum Precision

Many devices use light to probe the quantum states of atoms in a vapor confined in a small cell. Atoms can be highly sensitive to external conditions, and therefore make superb detectors....

Products: RF & Microwave Electronics

Product of the Month: April 2019 Tech Briefs

nanotron, Munich, Germany, introduced 360° Edge Analytics tools and location-aware wireless sensors for manufacturing and healthcare. The products automatically extract event information...

Products: Electronics & Computers

New Product: TRACO POWER’s TIB 80-EX Power Supplies

The power supplies are designed for harsh environments and hazardous locations.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Answering Your Questions: Can Collaborative Robots Help Manufacturers Looking to Scale Their Business?

Cobots can help manufacturers automate tasks both known or unknown, says engineer Israel Nunez.

INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Self-Contained Wheel Units Cut Vehicle Costs

Vehicles could be affordably produced for a wide variety of specialized purposes using a self-contained wheel unit that combines a wheel and an electric motor with braking, suspension,...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robots Quickly Track Moving Objects with Precision

Robots using a system of RFID tags can locate tagged objects within 7.5 milliseconds on average with an error of less than a centimeter. TurboTrack could replace computer vision for some...

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Energy Monitor Helps Coast Guard Find Faulty Electrics on Board

The MIT system can monitor the behavior of electronic devices within a building, a factory – and even a 270-foot Coast Guard cutter.

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Cancer Probe Could Spot Deadly Melanoma Early

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is diagnosed in more than 130,000 people globally every year. Now, work is being done on a tool to help in its early detection: a simple, compact...

INSIDER: Aerospace

NASA Wants Student Ideas for Human Space Missions

The 2020 eXploration Systems and Habitation (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge supports NASA’s efforts to develop technologies and capabilities that will enhance the human...

INSIDER: Materials

Materials Delay Frost 300 Times Longer Than Anti-Icing Coatings

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago discovered several unique properties of materials known as phase-switching liquids (PSLs) that hold promise as...

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Answering Your Questions: When to Use Collaborative Robots in Manufacturing

A reader asks: What types of considerations need to be made before you go in on collaborative robots?

Blog: Materials

3D-Printable Sensor ‘Turns Blue’ to Detect Trace Amounts of Water

The sensor supports new ideas in food-quality control, environmental monitoring, and more.

Podcasts: Test & Measurement

Here's an Idea: Sleep

When it comes to a better night’s sleep, what role should technology play – if any at all?

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Inside the Invention of a Snore-Stopping Sleep Mask – From Idea to Prototype to Product

It took two and a half years, 60 prototypes, and even some of his children’s craft foam, but Curtis Ray turned his idea into invention.

INSIDER: Imaging

Improving Molecular Imaging Using a Deep Learning Approach

Generating comprehensive molecular images of organs and tumors in living organisms can be performed at ultra-fast speed using a new deep learning approach to image reconstruction...